ahern



J. AHERN.

SIGNAL RECORDING APPARATUS, APPLICATION FILED Jun; 29. 1911.

1,317,672. Patented 00. 7,1919.

//z Mew/ 1- Jam ,q'lerrz l. AHERN.

SIGNAL RECORDING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1917.

1,317,672. Patented Oct. 7,1919;

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

JAMES AHERN, OF RICHMOND, MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA.

SIGNAL-RECORDING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters I'atent.

Patented Oct. 7, 1919..

Application filed June 20, 1917. Serial No, 175,742.

tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to orders transmitted by mechanical means from a ships bridge to'an engine room instructing that the engines be moved ahead at a certain speed, be stopped, or moved astern, or that other proceedings be taken. It is also applicable to other purposes.

At inquiries instituted subsequently to ships collisions with other ships or wha'rves it has sometimes happened that the evidence has been of a most contradictory character. The officer on the bridge has declared one thing, the engineer on watch below another. The former may have asserted that he had moved his hand lever to the Go ahead half speed position while the engineer asserted that the order he received was Full speed astern. There being no irrefutable record available the true cause of the accident could not always be determined and its recurrence prevented.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple, reliable and effective apparatus whereby the movement of a radiating pointer or finger on the front of an originating or distant dial is communicated to another or receiving dial and a permanent chart prepared recording the receipt ofsame. ":The originating dial may have thereon Full ahead, Half ahead, Slow ahead, Stand by, Stop, Slow aster-n, Half astern, Full astern or any other announcements. On the receiving dial are'similar announcements to those on the originating one. When the hand lever controlling the pointer in front of the originating dial is moved a similar movement is transferred to the pointer of the'receiving dial which movement also actuates a reciprocating slide. This latter moves a marker across a traveling chart which by clockwork mechanism is unwound from a roll. The apparatus will register on this chart any order given from the bridge of a ship tothe engineer below or from any one point elsewhere to any other. It will also indicate clearly the manner in which the order is executed or remains unexecuted, and also the time elapsing between the moment the order was given and the moment of its execution. Any movement of marine or other engines or rotating ele-- ments when they should be at rest are permanently recorded on the roll or chart. When an engine should be moved and is not moved the chart shows it. In additionfby this apparatus a warning bell or alarm of any desired tone or sound volume is sounded if the engine be moved in a direction opposite to that shown on the dial or should the engine be moved in either direction when the pointer is on Stop.

Mechanical means are employed to move the marker for all the purposes before described and by electrical means an alarm bell is rung should the engine be moved'at the wrong speed in either direction or should it be stopped when it should be rotating. Visible and audible signals are therefore provided if any order is wrongly carried out. 4 I

If desired instead of there being a chart only in the engine room or at the receiving station, a chart and apparatus for moving the marker may be installed near the originating dial.

When the originating hand lever is moved the apparatus moving the marker laterally isset in motion and a chart prepared which furnishes evidence the truth of which can not be disputed.

But in order that the invention may be better. understood reference will now be made to the accompanying sheets of drawings which are to be taken as part of this specificationand read herewith.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, the pointer of the receiving dial being at stop, the crank pin andeccentric are in the position adapted to give the minimum travel of the connecting rod and marker.

The belt from the engine is slackened since the jockey pulley has been withdrawn. In broken lines the jockey pulley is shown released to tighten the belt and thereby set the marking apparatus in motion.

the maximum travel of theconnecting rod and the marker.

Fig. 4 illustrates the position of the parts.

when the shaft rotates in the reverse direction and the minimum travel of the connectin rod and marker is obtained.

ig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the originating station and the receiving station and a means for operating the receiving station pointer by movement of ,a hand lever at the originating station.

- pig. 6 is a plan of F1g. 1. Fig. 7 is a viewlooking at the right hand end of Fig. 1, the clockwork mechanism being removed.

Fi 8 shows portion of a chart paper and a diagram illustrating orders which have been correctly carried out.

Fig. 9 showsa diagram in which the orders have not been carried out correctly.

Fig. 10 illustrates a device for sounding an electric alarm bell should the engine be moved at the wrong speed in either direction or stopped when they should be moving.

Fig. 11 is a side view of Fig. 10.

On reference to the drawings and Fig. 5 it will be seen that 1 is an originating hand lever shaft (operated by an originating hand lever in front of an originating dial 2) from which shaft a connection or connections 3 by bevel wheels or other means communicate with a receiving shaft 4:. The said shaft 4 turns within bearings supported by a suitable frame work, bulk head, eXtension or other attachment 5. To this shaft is attached the inner end-of a pointer 8 moving in front of a receiving dial 9, having spaces thereon. The originating hand lever thus operates the pointer 8 while a receiving hand lever 6 located at the receiving dial operates (through any suitable connections not shown) the pointer 20 in front of the originating dial 2. Protruding from the shaft L is an In port stop pin 10 and an At sea stop pin 11 hereinafter referred to. To the said shaft is secured a toothed pinion 12.

Thesaid pinion 12 engages with a rack 13 upon a reciprocating slide 14:. This moves in guides 15. A bearing 16 is attached to an extension from this slide. Also attached tothe slide is the inner end of an overhanging bracket 17 to which by a pivot pin 18 is pivoted the upper end of a marker rod 19. To this a marker 21 is secured by a set screw or other means.

The engine which is to be stopped started or driven in the right direction by the orders received upon the receiving dialhas connected with it a belt 22 (Fig. 1). This belt '23 and thereby tightens the belt.

can be driven from the main shaft or other rotatin part of the engines and is slack when t e apparatus is not in operation. It

passes around a grooved pulley 23 from which project alarm bell pins 24. The said pulley is secured toza shaft 25 which turns in the bearings 16 before referred to. Protruding from the end of the shaft is a crank pin 26, in the center of which is a threaded hole into which is threaded a screw 27. To the crank pin by the screw 27 is looked a tappet plate 28 which tappet plate has protruding therefrom a tappet 29.

Freely turning upon'the said crank pin is 'an eccentric 30. From this protrudes a go-ahead pin 31 and a go-astern pin 32. Around the eccentric are adjustable straps 33 secured to a connecting rod 34 the outer end of which is threaded and adjustably attached to the marker rod 19. By means of an adjusting screw 35 the frictional. contact of the straps to the eccentric can be so regulated that the eccentric is always free upon the pin but comparatively tighter in the straps. When the center of the eccentric is farthest from the crank pin and is radially in alinement with the same and the cen* ter of the shaft (as in Fig. 3) the maximum rod 34 and the marker is at the minimum.

Adjoining the belt 22 is a jockey pulley 37 turning upon a pin 38 secured to the rcctangularportion 39 of a bar. The said bar has around portion -13, part of which is threaded as at 42. The said bar moves in suitable guides 44 and encircling the round portion is a coiled spring 46 which forces the jockey pulley toward the grooved pulley Onto the threaded portion 42 is loosely screwed the upper end of a control lever 47. end of the said lever has a gullet 48 therein which passes over and engages either of the stop pins 10 or 11 before referred to.

The chart paper 52 Has preferably thereon lateral'or time rulings. These may be arranged at such a distance apart that they represent a minute or a half a minute or any other period of time. There are also longitudinal or vertical rulings separating the chart up into a similar number of spaces to the order spaces appearing upon the dials. The chart paper when ready for use is coiled upon a supply reel 53 which is easily removed and resupplied and replaced. The said paper passes over a feed drum 5 1 which is driven by a suitable clock work mechanism disposed within the casing 56. The paper is pressed upon the feed drum by a friction roller 57 and passes onto a receiving reel 58, upon the spindle ofwhich is a tension drum 59. To this tension drum is at- The lower I tached one end of a line, to the other end of which is attached a weight 62. The unrolling of the paper from the supply reel may be retarded and the paper kept taut weight 87., Or the unrolling of the supply reel may be operated in any other way.

If the engines are moved in the wrong direction or moved without authority an alarm bell 80 is sounded by hammers 82 carried by springs 79, the upper ends of which are attached to the frame 5 or extensions therefrom. The said springs carry pivot pins 83 to which are pivoted the upper ends of tumblers 84. The tumblers are approximately U-shaped in cross section and their lower ends are inclined.

The invention operates as follows :When the engines are at rest in port and the apparatus is not in operation the bar 49 is withdrawn and the gullet 48- in the control lever is situated over the In port stop pin l0 as shown in Fig. 1. When at sea the pointer being at full speed ahead, the At sea stop pin is vertical and rests within the gullet. As the hand lever at the originating station is moved the shaft 4 rotates and moves the slide 14 and withit the pulley 23 to right or left according to the rotation .of the shaft and the movement of the pointer 8. The marker 21 is thus moved over to the space upon the chart corresponding to the announcement on which the pointer rests. Simultaneously the rotation of the shaft 4 causes the pin 10 or 11, as the case may be, to move out of the gullet. The bar 49 is thereby freed and impelled by the spring 46 moves outwardly toward the pulley 23. The driving belt 22 which has been slack is at once tightened by thejockey pulley 37 pressing against it and forcing it upon the pulley 23 which is thereb rotated. As the pulley rotates the cran pin 26 carries the tappet plate around until the tappet 29 strikes either the go-ahead pin 31 or the go-astern pin 82 according to the direction in which the en ines are moving. The eccentric 30 is there y turned and reciprocates the connecting rod 34 and the marker 21 either for a long stroke or a short stroke. A comparatively wide or short diagram is thus inscribed upon the moving chart and indicates in. which direction the engines were running at the time of the record. I

When the pointer rests on stop the pulley 23 is disposed centrally between the tumblers 84 and any movement of the enines in either direction will cause the alarm bell pins 24 to strike the inclined face of one of the tumblers and lift the spring 79. Immediately the pin has passed the tumbler the spring is released and the hammer 82 strikes the bell 80 and sounds the alarm. \Vhen the pointer is at Ahead or Astern the pins 24 will respectively engage only' the left or right hand tumbler which will simply swing on its pivot 83 if the engines are moving in the right direction, but will bear against its spring 79 and cause it to be lifted when the engines move in the wrong direction and the pin. strikes the inclined face of the tumbler.

The clockwork mechanism which drives the feed drum 54 and the chart, may be stopped'when the vessel is at sea or at rest in port and restarted by any suitable means.

If desired, it may be arranged to start simultaneously with the transmission of the first order from the originating station.

As will be seen from the diagram shown in Fig. 8, when the engines are at rest the marker inscribes a straight longitudinal or vertical line upon the chart, the movement of the pointer and the slide being indicated bya horizontal line while any movement of the engines and consequently the marker causes a zig-zag diagram to be marked on the chart. The pitch of the zigzag lines will naturally depend upon the speed at which the engines are moving, the widely spaced lines denoting Slow, the closer lines Half and the closest lines Full I speed. It will also be clear from the foregoing description that the width of the zigzag markings depends upon the direction in which the engines are moving, the variation being produced by the eccentric gear upon the shaft 25. On the incorrect diagram shown in Fig. 9 the lower zig-zag marking indicates that the engines have been moved at the right speed but in the wrong direc tion. The order to stop has then been given but ignored, the next order is Full speed ahead but the engines have here been stopped and subsequently moved in the right direction but at Half speed only. The next order is for Half speed'astern but the engines are here again stopped and then run at Full speed ahead which, upon the order to stop being again given, has been An eccentric 66 is mounted on the pulley shaft 25 and operates a piston 67 at av speed corresponding to the speed of the engines. This piston pumps oil from the oil well return valve 69. Within the chamber 68 is a spring controlled plunger 74 carrying at its upper end a spring contact pin 70 adapted to make contact with inclined contact plates 71, which are stationary, and through the wall of the chamber are oil outlet ports 7 3. Should the engines be working slowly the piston 67 will pump oil into the chamber 68 at a corresponding rate and the plunger 74 will be lifted only suiiiciently to allow the oil to escape through the lowest port 7 3, while if the engines are working at Half speed or Full speed the plunge-r will rise to the second and uppermost ports respectively. Thus, for example, should Full speed ahead be signaled the oil well and with it the plunger will be moved over by the slide 1% to its extreme left hand position and the spring contact pin will if the order is carried out be lifted by the plunger to a point midway between the. two Contact plates 71. Should however the speed of the engines fall to Half Slow or Stop the plunger will fall and the spring contact pin will make contact with the lower contact pin 71 and complete a circuit through the wires 75 and 76 thus sounding the alarm bell. Likewise, when the signaled speed is half or slow the contact pin will be lifted to a point midway between the contact plate but farther to the right and will, if the required speed is exceeded, make contact with the upper contact plate and complete the bell circuit through the wires 7 5 and 77 or if the engines are running too slow or stopped the contact pin will fall onto the lower contact plate as before mentioned. The flexible nature of the contact pin 70 permitsit to give when it is forced against the inclined contact plates by the movement of the reciprocating slide 1 f.

It will be understood that various mechanical changes obvious toa skilled mechanic may be devised from a proper knowledge of the apparatus herein described without deviating from the principle of the invention.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure. by Letters Patent is 1. J11 apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to an engine room or elsewhere, a marker and a free eccentric operatively connected to a rotary part of an engine and adapted to reciprocate said marker against a chart for producing lines of different length according to the direction of rotation of the engine.

2. In apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to an engine room or elsewhere, a marker, and means comprising a crank and a free eccentric for reciprocating said marker upon a chart for the purpose specified, said eccentric being operatively connected to a rotary member that is driven from a rotary part of the engine. v,

3. In apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to an engine room or elsewhere, a signal dial, a chart, means for marking lines of two different lengths upon the chart, the length of the lines being governed by the direction of movement of the engine, and means for moving said marking means into positions with respect to the chart corresponding to the different indications of the signal dial.

1-. In apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from adistance to an engine room or elsewhere, a signal dial, a chart, a marker adapted to produce comparatively long lines on the chart when the engine is moving in one direction and comparatively short lines when it is .moving in the opposite direction and means for moving said marker into positions with respect to the chart corresponding to different indications of the signal dial.

5. In apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to rendering the marker inoperative though the engines are moving.

,6. In apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to an engine room or elsewhere, a chart, a marker, an eccentric adapted to reciprocate the marker upon the chart and means for moving the marker bodily into different positionson the chart for the purpose set forth.

7. In apparatus for recording, mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to an engine room or elsewhere, thf combination of an originating hand lever shaft, a receivin shaft, mechanical means for communicating the motion of said originating shaft to said receiving shaft, a pointer on said receiving shaft, a dial behind said pointer, stop pins protruding from the receiving sha t, a pinion upon said shaft, a marker moved into predetermined positions by the rotation of the pinion, and a control lever adapted to be engaged by said stop pins for the purpose set forth.

8. In apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to an engine room or elsewhere, a chart, a reciprocating slide, a marker carried thereby and pivoted to move laterally in relation to the chart, means carried by said slide for Cally trlc.

oscillating the marker about its pivotindependently of reciprocation of the shde according to movements of the engine, and

means for moving said slide 'from a distant point. Q f= 9. In apparatus for recording mechanitransmitted orders from a distance to an engine ,room or elsewhere, the combination of a receiving shaft, a pinion thereon, a reciprocating slide having a rack, which en gages the-pinion, a bracket carried by the slide and a marker rod pivoted to the bracket. 5

10. In apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to an engine room or-elsewhere, a shaft adapted to'be driven from the en ine, a crank pin protruding from the sha t, an eccentric freely mounted on the crank pin, a goahead and a go-astern pin protruding from the eccentric, a tap'pet plate locked to the outer end of the crank in, a tappet protruding from the tappet p ate to engage the go-ahead and go-astern pins and a marker operated by movement of the eccen- 11. In apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to an engine room or elsewhere, a crank pin, an eccentric freely mountedthereon, a connectingrod, adjusting straps attached t9 to the connecting rod and passing around said eccentric, and a pivoted marker red attached to the connectingrod.

12. In apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to an engini room or elsewhere, a receiving shaft, stop pins protruding therefrom, a bar, a spring adapted to force said bar outward, a controllever carried b the bar and having a gullet to accommodate the stop pins and old the bar inward, a pulley adapted to be driven by a normally slack belt from the engine, a marker 0 erated by rotation of said pulley and a joc ey pulley carried by the said bar and adapted'to ento set the marker '13. In apparatus Jfor recordin mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to an engine" room or elsewhere, the combination of a supply reel having a tension device acting directly upon the said reel, a clockwork mechanism adapted to drttw a chart paper from the supply reel and a receiving reel having an in ependent tension device acting directly, upon itsubstantially as described.

14. In apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to an' engine room or elsewhere, an oil well, a cylinder in communication therewith, a

piston in said cylinder adapted to move at the same relative speed as the engines, a 65. chamber in communication with said cylinder, ports in said chamber adapted to discharge oil therefrom, a plunger Within said chamber and means carried by said plunger for completing an electric circuit when the engines are inadvertently stopped or run at a speed which is at variance with orders.

15. In apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to an engine room or elsewhere, a mechanically operated alarm bell adapted to announce it the engines are operating in a wrong direction or Without authority.

16. In apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to 30 an engine room or elsewhere, an alarm bell, springs disposed at each side thereof, hammers carried by said springs, tumblers pivoted to said springs and alarm bell pins adapted to engage the tumblers and to .lift the springs when the engines are moved in a wrong direction or without authority.

17. In apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to an engine room or elsewhere, a traveling chart, means for recording thereon movements and stoppages of the engine and means for moving said recording means into predetermined positions upon the chart corresponding to orders transmitted from an originating station. v a

18. In apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from-a distance to an engine room or elsewhere, an indicator dial provided with a number of signaling designations, a chart, a marker, means for reciprocating said marker to record and diffe'rentiate between opposite movements and stoppages of the engine upon the chart, an originating hand lever associated with the indicator dial and means controlled by the operation of the lever for moving the marker into predetermined positions upon xthe chart.

19. In apparatus for recording mechanically transmitted orders from a distance to an engine room or elsewhere, a traveling chart, a marker, an eccentric driven from the engine and adapted to reciprocate the marker upon the chart, an indicator dial at sitions upon the chart, synchronously with the transmission of orders from an originating station and corresponding to the designations indicatedon the dial by the hand lever. a v In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

- JAMES AHERN. 

